Cottage offers best of old and new along with a taste of the good life

Architect Carole Cuthbertson used her design skills to renovate and update this gorgeous Georgian cottage. Now it’s the perfect blend of old and new with an immaculate finish thanks to Carole’s attention to detail.

Ash Cottage, Ravensworth

She and her partner, Toni Buckley, bought the stone-built property in 2008 and stripped it right back so that they could install insulation and new wiring, plumbing and a new roof.#

“I specialise in commercial buildings with my job so doing a big residential project was an itch I had to scratch. I got a lot of inspiration for the interiors from boutique hotels,” says Carole. “The house hadn’t been touched for years and it needed a lot of work but it was the project I was looking for and it is in a fabulous village. It’s friendly and it’s only five miles from the A1, which is perfect as I work between Leeds and Newcastle.”

The house, which boasts underfloor heating, LED lighting and a sound system, has a dining hall, sitting room, snug, inner hall, boot room, an open plan living kitchen with handmade pippy oak units and bi-fold doors onto a courtyard.

On the first floor, there are two large double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. The master bedroom suite features bespoke built in wardrobes. On the second floor, there are two further double bedrooms and a bathroom.

The open-plan living space

A glass corridor links the Georgian House to a two storey barn conversion/annexe to the rear, which is designed to be flexible and suitable for a range of uses, including an office, extra living space or room for a dependent relative.

Carole admits that she “probably made the builders lives a misery” during the renovation: “I have very exacting standards and attention to detail is very important to me,” she says.

Outside, there is a garage and parking area. The gardens and grounds extend to 0.65 acres and there is a walled courtyard with a sunken dining area and two further patio areas The property also comes with a paddock. The previously overgrown garden is perfect for those who want to try living like The Good Life TV couple. There are chickens with a hut straight out of Grand Designs and a vegetable garden with raised beds.

“Our friends call us Tom and Barbara but everyone benefits from the produce we grow. When we move we will create another vegetable garden as I can’t imagine being without one now,” says Carole, who is selling to downsize.

The sitting area

Estate agent Tim Gower, of Robin Jessop, says: “The property offers the best of both worlds. It comprises a period property which has been modernised to suit contemporary living.”